Owners Manual: How Do I Turn On?

Welcome to Assignment Number One in “How to Write your Own Owners Instruction Manual”

This week: How do I turn myself on?

Last week I wrote about creating your own Owners Manual and it struck a chord with many of you out there. For the next few blog posts I’m going to giving assignments to help you write your own Instruction Manual.

First off, where are the controls and how do you operate them? This often found in the Quick Start Menu. I know that once I’ve decided to do something I need it done yesterday, so it seems natural that I’m beginning with an assignment to develop your Quick Start instructions.

In the Quick Start page the first thing you need to know is how to turn it on. I’m not trying to be provocative, but what turns you on? The product/device/You are useless if you are not turned on! Turning things on isn’t as easy as it sounds.

When I have given workshops guiding them on how to live their lives so that they are fulfilled and at the end of it all will have few or no regrets, I will often ask them to imagine the perfect day. The perfect day gives the participant a sense of what matters and what makes them feel fulfilled. In this exercise, they create a day any way they want-regardless of realistic constraints of time or money or the like. What would they put in this ‘’perfect day’? Many people exclaim in horror and sadness “ I have no idea even what I want”

To find out what turns you on I’ve given some suggestions below, including the perfect day exercise.

Challenge Homework

-Ask your inner five year old or remember what you loved to do when you were a kid. Make a list of these activities and favorite memories. These turned you on then, they probably still do.

Three favorite memories from the past when you were really happy/peaceful/fulfilled. What were you doing? Who was present? Why was this so good? Elements in this turned you on.

Create your perfect day. What happens when you roll out of bed? Where are you? Who is with you? What do you have for breakfast? How do you fill your time before lunch? What do you look forward to aftern lunch? What sort of work/socializing/adventure are you on in your perfect day?

If you can’t come up with an exact memory or activity, then at least describe a feeling- for example-I’m doing something that challenges me mentally or I’m doing something that has lots of time for coffee breaks and conversation. You can be a bit vague while you break it down for yourself.

Be specific if that is better for you. For example: In my perfect day I’m having breakfast on a terrace in a tiny town in Italy and I sit on rattan furniture with my legs nestled in underneath me as I read the local news paper in italian, because I speak it in this fantasy. My jam is blackberry made my myself in my spare time.

The point is to approach it with a sense of play. There is no right or wrong. If you can’t choose just one for fear it is the ‘wrong’ one, then write or imagine several and see what the common themes are.

I’d love to hear from you what tool you liked best, or if you went a different direction entirely to come up with what turns you on then please share! The more ideas the better for everyone. Let’s get the creativity turned up on this one. I can’t wait to hear what you will be writing in your Quick Start section of your owners manual-Where is your ‘power’ button?